While sugary foods and beverages are more blamed for the global rise in obesity rates, a new study suggests that sodium — found in chips, processed meat products, bread, and dairy products, especially cheese — may also be a significant risk factor.

The research presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025) highlighted an alarming correlation between sodium intake and obesity, both in terms of overall body fat and abdominal fat.

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The study, led by researchers from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland analysed data from over 5,000 men and women aged 18 and older, examining their sodium intake as well as urine sodium concentration about their obesity status.

Notably, all participants were found to exceed the recommended sodium intake of 5 grams or less per day — set by the World Health Organization.

The analysis revealed strong correlations between high dietary sodium intake and both general and abdominal obesity, particularly for women. Both high sodium and obesity levels are known risk factors for hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancers.

Participants in the highest sodium intake quartile were 4.3 times more likely to be classified as obese overall and 3.4 times more likely to suffer from abdominal obesity.

In the case of men, those in the highest quartile of urine sodium concentration were six times more likely to experience general obesity and 4.7 times more likely to have abdominal obesity.

“In general, men consume more food, and also more foods that are the main food sources of sodium in the diet, such as meat products, bread and bakery products, and cheese. Our analyses were adjusted for total energy intake and therefore the stronger associations in men might be due to the higher salt intake relative to total energy intake. However, regardless of the magnitude of the relationship, the associations were in a similar direction in both men and women,” said Annika Santalahti, from the Finnish Institute.

“These results strengthen the evidence of an association between sodium intake and obesity, with similar findings observed for both dietary sodium and urine sodium concentration. It is important to gain more understanding about the biological mechanism of the relationship,” she added.